Review and photos by Torvosaurus, edited by Suspsy.
Howdy from wonderful, windy Wyoming! Today we’ll take a look at the Honourable Lead Boiler Suit (HLBS) Protoceratops. This review will be a relatively short review, as there isn’t much to this figure, which was made sometime during the 1990s.
A famous story, an ancient tragedy, a spectacular discovery. Two dinosaurs, locked in lethal combat, suddenly perished from external forces, their bodies preserved almost perfectly in their last moments of action. What was cause of the combat and demise? Paleontologists have speculated long and hard since the year 1971, when an expedition to the Gobi Desert led to the discovery of the fossil now renowned as “The Fighting Dinosaurs” – a Protoceratops with its sharp beak grasping the arm of a Velociraptor, whose sickle claw is embedded in the herbivore’s neck.
Protoceratops is a staple of classic dinosaur multimedia. What the “first horned face” lacks in size and ornamentation when compared to later ceratopsian relatives, it makes up for with excellent preservation in the fossil record, its discovery dating back to the Central Asiatic Expeditions of the early 1900s.
This fine set of little Battat precursors from Gregory Wenzel has aged impressively well, and any collector who’s found a chance to own the set should find these a delight.
Back in the 1990s, Safari ltd. was still a bold newcomer on the collectibles stage; with their success on the Carnegie Collection line, the company began exploring additional means to grow their brand.
Five or so years ago I introduced to you a line of so called „Margarinefiguren“ (meaning margarine figures) which had been produced by or for a German food company named „Wagner“ 60 or so years ago. The company added them to their food packages as little collectibles for kids as a buying incentive for their parents.
While some fossil species in the world are rare, known from mere fragments, others are known from multiple specimens. Such is the case with Protoceratops, an early Ceratopsian, so common that it is known as the sheep of the Cretaceous, with multiple species associated with the genus.
Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy
I know what you’re all thinking: “Another Protoceratops review by Loon? It must be a day that ends in ‘y’!” This time it’s the one from Starlux, which is around 40 years old.
Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy.
Discovered in 1971, the “Fighting Dinosaurs” fossil is particularly special, as it preserved two dinosaurs apparently in a literal fight to the death. Because of this, the combatants, Protoceratops and Velociraptor, have joined the most legendary dinosaur rivalries.
Review and photos by Loon, edited by Suspsy
Released in 1992, James Gurney’s book Dinotopia follows the shipwrecked scientist Arthur Denison and his son Will as they journey through the titular island, where dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals escaped extinction and coexist with humanity.
Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy.
Dino World was a line of small models similar to Kaiyodo’s Dino Tales. Unlike Dino Tales, these toys are sold by the Japanese candy company Kabaya and came packaged with candy. This review will be looking at #12 of 24 in the series, the hatching Protoceratops.
Like Dino Tales figures, this toy is very small.
Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy.
Protoceratops figures tend not to be very large, most likely to better communicate the real animal’s small size. Breaking with tradition, CollectA has decided to create this figure in 1/6 scale, to go along with their Deluxe Velociraptor.
Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy
Protoceratops is the only species I actively collect multiple figures of, and luckily, many companies have released their own versions. This has allowed me to sample lines that I usually wouldn’t have much interest in, such as Playskool’s Definitely Dinosaurs.
